Day: May 19, 2015

It has been my personal experience that theists like to treat atheists as a homogeneous group. At least where I’m at, theists seem to think that if someone is an atheist, they have to be a secular humanist, a liberal progressive, are angry, and desperately wanting to take their religion. There are more stereotypes, of course. If you aren’t an atheist, here a helpful list.

1. We are not all secular humanists.

2. We are not all progressive liberals.

3. Many atheists couldn’t care less about your religion.

5. There are certain atheist sects of Buddhism and Hinduism, so some atheists are actually religious.

6. Not all atheists are materialists.

7. Not all atheists are New Atheists.

8. Atheists have not crowned Richard Dawkins as their pope.

9. Atheists can have a moral center.

10. (This one, actually, shocks the hell out of me.) Not all atheists accept evolution. (I’ve run into a couple.)

11. We are not all angry.

12. Atheism =/= socialism/communism.

13. Returning to point 8. Not all atheists even like Richard Dawkins.

14. We did not all leave God due to a tragedy.

15. We are not all going through a phase.

* I’m not saying whether or not an atheist should/should prescribe to items on the list. I’m saying we are not a homogeneous group. Treating all atheist is the same is like thinking every theist is a Christian conservative.